Happy Friday!

I hope that you've had a great week. I've been insanely busy. In addition to preparing our big LIGHTEN UP FOR FALL comedy concert tonight and next week's opening of the new season of THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO SOLO SERIES, I'm working on the latest rewrite of my new solo play, GRANDMA & ME, ahead of workshop performances at the Marsh in San Francisco later this Fall. I'm simultaneously working on a new “mini-play” of sorts as well for an interesting project.

My director and collaborator David Ford is presenting a festival of short plays by several different performers on the theme, “How the Trump Presidency has Affected Me  Personally.” In new 15 to 20 minute works, artists will relate share personal experiences, both good and bad, resulting from the policies and environment created by Donald Trump and his administration. It's an interesting exercise for me in that, while my standup has always been very political, for the most part, my theater work up to this point (including the upcoming GRANDMA) has primarily dealt with purely social issues as I've experienced them. It's also been a new experience writing two plays at the same time! You can check out the festival at the Marsh in San Francisco from October 19 through October 21.

This Sunday is COMEDY DAY in the newly renamed Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Robin was the backbone of COMEDY DAY. Most years he'd show up to do a surprise set. All years, he generously contributed funds to make sure that the event took place. Unfortunately, I've had to bow out this year because of a conflict. I'd promised to perform NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN at the Little Theater in Albany on behalf of the Albany Library. They tell me that GENUINE is sold out. There's plenty of space at COMEDY DAY and it's free!

Here's what else I've been up to this week.

READING

Like the rest of America, I am immersed in Bob Woodward's tome on the Trump Administration, FEAR. I'm about three quarters of the way through and it's riveting and terrifying. And yes... the situation is even worse that you thought.

SAW

Caught two pictures this week. The Lady Love and I saw CRAZY RICH ASIANS. If you haven't seen it because you think because you're not Asian, it won't be relatable, that's crazy. There is a universality in its exploration of the classic love triangle between a girl, a boy... and his mother. Throw in the pressure of cultural expectations and you've got a sweet, touching, funny love story. Can anybody say, “Date Night”? GO.

Last night we caught A SIMPLE FAVOR. It's a thriller directed by Paul Feig and it's a departure from his usual, brilliant comedic works like BRIDESMAIDS, SPY and TRAINWRECK. Based on the novel of the same name, it's about Stephanie, a widowed mommy blogger (played by a marvelous Anna Kendrick), who befriends Emily, the mysterious, free spirited mother of one of her son's classmates (Blake Lively who steals every scene she's in). Things go awry one day when Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her son from school while she puts out a fire... and then vanishes.

I went in expecting a glorified Lifetime movie (and nothing against Lifetime movies...they're a guilty pleasure of mine). FAVOR is something deeper. It's a thriller, but it's also a bit of a commentary on the judgments that working moms and stay-at-home moms have about each other. GO.

THEATER

The Lady Love and I were thrilled to attend Opening Night of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at the SHN Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. I'm embarrassed to say that I had never seen this show before. I'm glad that this particular production was my introduction. It's really a masterpiece with the most amazing sets and visual effects I've ever seen on a live stage. It's just wonderful and a treat from beginning to end. We're going to see it again. GO.

EATS

Ate at Acapulco, an Alameda, California, institution this week. A couple of friends of mine bought the place about five years ago and my daughter Carolyn and I went to the “dress rehearsal,” where they tested out recipes and tweaked service. It was good Mexican food and shame on me for not returning sooner. Their Carne Asada and soft tacos are about as good as anything I've had from the food trucks or some of my favorite places in Puerto Vallarta. If you like Mexican food, be sure to check it out.

LIGHTEN UP FOR FALL

I've gathered a bunch of my pals and we're going to do one of our HUGE stand up comedy concerts tonight at the San Leandro Performing Arts Center. The line up includes Frank Olivier (Tonight Show, America's Got Talent), Dr. Gonzo (The legendary Doc of comedy Rock returns!), Sandy Stec (Marcus and Sandy in the Morning on 101.3 FM), Ronn Vigh (Fashion Police on E!), Stephen Pearl, Carla Clay, Tremane Webb and... some special surprise guests! Tickets are still available.

LIGHTEN UP FOR FALL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 8 PM
SAN LEANDRO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
TICKETS: 1800-838-3006
OR VISIT BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM

THE NOISY AMERICAN

By popular demand, for the last six weeks, I've been doing daily livestreams on Facebook Live. I call the commentaries THE NOISY AMERICAN because some on the right have said that critics of this administration need to “sit down and shut up.” As Americans, I think it's just the opposite. We need to be LOUD. Weekdays, I spend a few minutes commenting on the news and politics of the day then we discuss and debate through Facebook posts. What started as a lark is really growing into something. We're prepping two YouTube channels, THE NOISY AMERICAN channel and CopieTV, that we'll launch soon. We've also just launched a website and store. Check it out at TheNoisyAmerican.com. Check out my daily videos and follow me on Facebook where I'm briancopie1.

Have a great week!

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